Overall US spending on health care would rise as a result of legislation approved a week ago by the House of Representatives,according to a report by a top official at the agency that oversees the government's health insurance programs for the elderly and indigent. The analysis was issued by Richard Foster,the chief actuary at the Centres for Medicare and Medicaid,which is part of the Health and Human Services Department. The study was conducted at the request of House Republicans,who quickly tried to turn it against Democrat President Barack Obama's administration. Foster's report says legislation would expand insurance coverage to an estimated 32 million people who now lack it,according to the report,creating a demand for services that "could be difficult to meet initially . and could lead to price-increases,cost-shifting and/or changes in providers' willingness to treat patients with low-reimbursement health coverage." Billions of dollars in projected savings contained in the measure will be difficult to maintain,the report said. The United States is the only developed nation that does not have a comprehensive national health care plan for all its citizens,leaving nearly 50 million Americans uninsured. Obama and congressional Democrats have said one of their goals with the legislation is to slow the growth of health care costs nationally.
